OKAU ROAD METALLING

Taranaki Daily News, 16 May 1932, Page 2

OKAU ROAD METALLING

DISSATISFACTION OF SETTLERS. CLIFTON COUNTY COUNCIL'S REPLY Reading matters formed the subject of considerable discussion at a meeting of th© Okau-Tongaporutu branch of the Farmers’ Union on Saturday, the principal question being the metalling work 'being done on Okau Road. At the previous meeting of the branch a resolution was forwarded to the Clifton County Council protesting against the payment of special rates on the first two miles 31 chains of Okau Road on the grounds that it should have been done with shell rock. Mr. N. C. Fookes (county engineer) considered that the resolution was unjustified. The length of road metalled from Gray’s pit was two miles and the metal was approved, by the Public Works Department after samples were submitted. It was realised that it would bo virtually impossible to procure sufficient supplies of shell rock on Okau Road from the known sources of supply for metalling four miles of the road, without considerably exceeding the amount of money available for metalling. It was therefore decided to use th© 5 sedimentary rock deposit in Gray’s and if necessary provide a three-inch wearing coat. The value of the metal as a foundation course was amply proved last winter when i| was called upon to carry a much larger and heavier volume, of traffic than was usual in the district owing to the construction work on the road, tunnel and bridges. The Public Works Department wished to allow another year's wear on the foundation before laying the wearing course, but the county engineer opposed that, so the work was completed. The council’s opinion, with which he agreed, was that the district had an excellent class of road which would serve the district for many years, besides being considerably cheaper to maintain than an ordinary shell rock road not surfaced with gravel. Hard gravel surfacing on any kind of suitable metalled foundation was in. accordance with the best practices in highway construction of that class and was extensively done in all parts of New Zealand and other countries.

. The present contract, of 125 chains, which was being done in shell rock from McGregor’s pit, would absorb all the known shell rock which could be economically worked on Okau Road. The council had been keeping the continuation of the reformation and. metalling of Okau Road constantly before the notice of the Minister of Public Works and "the district engineer was of opinion that further metalling would have to be done with the same materials as the first two miles unless any further suitable deposits of shell rock were located adjacent to the road.

£12,700 EXPENDED. The total loan raised by. the settlers was £2OOO, whereas £12,736 had been expended on the work to the Mangatoro junction and after all the work liad been paid for there would bo a credit on the loan of £135. The works done for that large sum included the complete reformation of four miles of Okau Road to conform to modern traffic, requirements, the construction of a deviation, two bridges and a tunnel, which cut out three-quarters of a mile of the old road, and the metalling of four miles of new formation. Through the council’s efforts considerably more work had been done for the amount of the loan than if. the council had had to do the whole of the works from the money available by loan and subsidy. The loan had actually been subsidised to the extent of £6.32 to the £l, which was considerably in excess of anything ever promised to the district.

The union would therefore understand, Mr. Fookes ...added,-. the -very natural astonishment its letter had .caused to those who knew the facts of the case. The comparatively enormous sum of £12,736 had been expended on Okau Road as follows: Kebbit’s contract (metalling) £2600, Larsbnls contract gravelling) £i1057, Clements’ contract (metalling ) £1238), McMillan’s contract (two bridges) £21191 and Public Works Department (formation and funnel) £5650.

It was, Mr. Fookes said, futile to protest against the special rate after thp money had been expended. ■ The loan was authorised to be raised for the purpose of reforming and metalling portion of the Okau Road and was so expended. The work was done efficiently by the council and approved and passed by the Public Works Department engineers, and there was no doubt that the best possible job was made with the material available.

Mr. J. B. Carr said he had had considerable correspondence over the road with the Minister of Public Works (Rt. Hon. J. G. Coates), who had agreed to give a free grant for the widening, formation and culverting and to give a £2 to £1 grant for metalling. The deviation ■ and tunnel were not mentioned, those being an afterthought of the department with which the settlers were not concerned.

The subsidy for the metalling had been placed on the estimates after the engineer had given an assurance that the metal was there. Their late councillors had stated that the contract had been let for shell rock. Mr. Carr considered the letter was bluff as they could not say now that the metal was satisfactory. It had cost £1 Ss. sd. per yard and later a wearing course of gravel had been put on at a cost of £1 Is. Id. per yard, whereas they had since secured a tender for shell rock at 18s. Bd. per yard. As showing what he thought of the gravel, the engineer had called alternative tenders for six inches of shell rock or nine inches of gravel. The chairman (Mr. F. Calvert) explained that the contract had been let originally for shell rock, but when it was found that there was not sufficient shell rock the contractor had been allowed to use the unsatisfactory metal, at the same price and later a wearing course of gravel had to be provided. Mr. Carr pointed out that it cost £2 9s. 6d. per yard for an unsatisfactory road, as against 18s. 7d. for shell rock. The engineer, .estimated at the start that with a £2 to £1 subsidy the cost of four miles to the settlers would be £2OOO. As the work was being done below the estimate it was considered by the settlers that the balance available would have enabled the metal to be extended. Instead of that it had been utilised to cover unsatisfactory work. . Mr. Carr said the settlers had protested against the payment of the rate, but he recognised that the rate had to be paid. Their remedy was to apply for a refund of the money expended. After some discussion it was resolved to ask Messrs. P. Keller (district engineer) and Fookes to meet the union and discuss reading matters.